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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. field — farmland
  4. rock — a stone
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. field — a subject
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rock — music
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. field — for sport
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com